DemiGemini Attractions
by LovelySilversky
Summary: Lame Title. OCs. Bad in general. ENJOYYY
1. Chapter 1

**NOTE**: The following story is a fanfiction about Ouran High School Host club. I really don't think it's that good but my friend Becca loves it, so I decided to share it. Oh, and don't hate me for making OCs. You seriously can't have a good Ouran fanfic without creating a random chic for one of the guys to fall for, and you know it. Also. Don't question my lame title. I was having fun with the thesaurus, alright?

_Rrriiiiing!_  
Nico let out a sigh of relief as the school bell went off, cutting off his History teacher mid-lecture. He seriously dreaded this class. Not that he had anything against Japanese History, or even his teacher for that matter, even if his endless lectures were painful to endure. No, the reason Nico hated History was because it was his last class of the day, and it was very difficult for the boy to concentrate on anything other than his afternoon plans for the duration of the class.  
So Nico grabbed his books and rushed out of the school as fast as he could, even though he knew he'd have to wait a few minutes for his cousin to show up.  
You see, every day after school, Nico met with his cousin Koichi to do various activities such as shop for her sickly mother, treat her to ice cream, etc, etc.  
The problem was that Koichi went to public high school, because her and her mother were pretty much broke. Then again, that's what made Koichi so much fun to be around. Nico could talk to her about the simpler things in life. With her it wasn't "Guess how much my father's stock has raised this month?" or "Guess what my great aunt just named the island she just bought?"  
No, with Koichi he could talk about what new movies were coming out or how funny that new game show was. With Koichi, Nico could be himself and not just the heir to his father's throne. His metaphorical throne of course.  
"Hey Nico, you waiting for something?" a voice called, interrupting the raven-haired boy's thoughts.  
Nico looked up to see two identical auburn haired boys walking towards him. They were the Hitachiin twins; apparently not attending the club they helped run on this particular afternoon.  
"A-ah, Hitachiin…" Nico stuttered, using their last name even they were pretty close friends because he hadn't caught who'd spoken.  
The twin on the left chuckled. "No need to be so formal."  
Nico nodded, recognizing the slightly higher pitched voice as Kaoru and realizing that the one who'd spoken before must have been Hikaru.  
"Uh… sorry…" Nico mumbled. "I-I'm waiting for my cousin." He kind of regretted telling the twins this, as he was sure to be mocked if they told anyone about his commoner cousin.  
Hikaru blinked. "Does he go to a different school or something?"  
Nico rubbed the back of his head, nodding slightly. "**She**, actually, and yeah… she, uh… goes to the public high school a few blocks from here."  
"Ohh, so she's a commoner." The twins said in sync, simultaneously nodding to each other.  
"Yeah but… j-just don't tell anyone, alright?"  
"Don't worry, Nico." Hikaru grinned.  
"Yeah, your secret's safe with us." Added Kaoru.  
Nico sighed, seriously doubting their promise, but he didn't get a change to reply, for at that moment, Nico heard a girl's voice call out his name. He turned around to see his cousin jogging towards him, dressed in a green t-shirt and blue jeans.  
"Sorry I'm late." She huffed upon reaching him. "I left my change of clothes at home and coming here in my uniform would be weird, so I had to stop at home and get them." She paused, noticing the twins for the first time. "I-I mean, uhh… I had to walk all the way here from home cause I'm uhh… home schooled and… uhh…"  
Nick chuckled. "It's fine, Koichi. I already told them."  
"Oh." Koichi blinked. "Who _are_ they?"  
"That's Kaoru," said Hikaru, pointing to the younger twin.  
"And that's Hikaru," said Kaoru, mimicking his brother's actions.  
Nico sighed. "They're part of that Host Club I told you about."  
"Oh." Koichi replied simply, her nose twitching with disgust.  
Hikaru crossed his arms. "And what's wrong with that?"  
Koichi sighed, trying to explain her feelings towards that certain club. "It's just… all of those things you guys do and say with or to those girls… it's not like you could actually be sincere. And why flirt with them at all? I mean, won't that just make them jealous or something?"  
"It's not like that, though." Kaoru said kind of defensively.  
"Explain yourself, _please_," Koichi said in a sarcastic tone, rolling her eyes.  
Nico sighed. _Here we go_, he thought.  
The twins exchanged a glance, talking in unison again. "It's like…" Hikaru trailed off, letting his brother continue. "The Host Club is a place for girls to come and just… have a good time. A place where they come to be entertained." The twins shrugged, and Kaoru spoke again. "And that's that."  
Koichi rolled her eyes once more. "I say you rich people have way too much time on your hands. You two wouldn't last a day in the real world. I bet you guys couldn't even last an afternoon."  
Hikaru narrowed his eyes at the commoner, slightly bending down so their eyes were level. "You're on."  
This was going too far. Nico had to speak up. "H-hey guys, what are you-  
"Yeah, you're on, pretty boy!" Koichi declared, ignoring her cousin. There was a tiny glint of adventure forming in her pretty green eyes. "You two last the entire afternoon with Nico and I as total commoners and I'll uh…" Koichi trailed off to think, tapping her chin in thought.  
"And you'll spend the entire afternoon at the Host Club." Kaoru decided.  
"A day for a day. Or rather, an afternoon for an afternoon." Added his twin.  
"Deal." Koichi decided, holding out her hand.  
Hikaru grinned, taking it in his own hand in a shake. "Deal."


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Nico whispered to Koichi as they entered the local grocery store with the twins trailing behind them.  
Koichi rolled her eyes and flicked some long black hair away from her face. "Of course I'm sure." And turning to the twins she said, "What do you two want for dinner? And nothing too fancy."  
"Dinner?" the twins asked in unison, exchanging a glance.  
Koichi crossed her arms. " The _entire_ afternoon, remember?"  
Kaoru sighed. "We'll eat whatever."  
Hikaru nodded. "So long as it doesn't kill us."  
Koichi grinned, turning back to her cousin. "Nico, we're having instant ramen for dinner tonight."

"So we're having commoner's ramen?" Kaoru asked distastefully, carefully lifting a pouch of ramen from the shopping bag Koichi had placed on the kitchen table.  
Koichi sighed, pulling out a few bowls from the cupboards and placing them on the table. "_Instant_ ramen, actually, and yes. We are."  
Hikaru shrugged. "Call it what you wish."  
Koichi rolled her eyes, plucking the pouch from Kaoru's fingers, ripping it open, and pouring it into a bowl. "Who knows," she shrugged. "Maybe you'll like it."  
The twins exchanged a doubtful glance and then shifted their gaze to Nico, who was sitting at the table twiddling his thumbs.  
Nico looked up and met their gaze. "Well don't look at me," he said nervously. "You two got yourselves dragged into this."  
The Hitachiins exchanged another glance, shrugging to each other and taking seats at the table.  
"Do you two do everything like that?" Koichi commented, pouring three more packets of ramen into bowls.  
"Like what?" They asked in sync.  
"Like _that_," Koichi replied, crossing her arms. "You two are like mirror images."  
Hikaru smirked. "We try."  
"Twins…" Koichi muttered, rolling her eyes. And turning to Nico she said "Nico, will you help me boil some hot water?"  
"Hmm?" Nico asked, looking up from his thumbs. "Oh, sure." He got up quickly, filling a pot with water and setting it over the stove.  
"So, uh… where are your parents?" Kaoru asked out of curiosity.  
Koichi's eyes lost all sign of hostility and began glimmering with hints of sorrow and grief. "W-well…"  
Kaoru blinked, realizing that this was a sensitive subject for the girl. "Y-you don't need to talk about it if you don't want to…"  
Koichi's eyes flicked back to hostility. "No, you asked, so I'll tell you." She said, taking a seat at the table and pointing a finger towards the younger twin. "My mother, she…" Koichi sighed, trying to work up the nerve to tell the Hitachiins about her family. "She's very ill. She's upstairs resting right now. Because of that, I… I have to care for myself as well as her…" Koichi trailed off, sniffing a few times and wiped away a stray tear that had made it halfway down her cheek.  
The younger twin looked as if he wanted to say something, but Koichi continued her story before he could say anything, not wanting a rich snob sympathizing for her. "A-and my father… he was a horrible man. A wife beater." Koichi sighed. "Mother got a divorce from him when I was four. Eleven years ago…" the girl trailed off, not able to say anything more as a few tears flowed smoothly down her cheek.  
"Koichi… you okay?" Nico asked, bringing the pot of steaming water back to the table.  
Koichi nodded, wiping the rest of her tears away as she struggled to recompose herself.  
"What happened?" Nico asked, looking accusingly towards the twins.  
Hikaru blinked. "She was telling us about her parents."  
"Oh," Nico sighed, taking a seat next to his cousin and rubbing her shoulder. "Well, the water's heated up. If you want, I can-  
"I'll do it." Koichi murmured, quickly standing up and turning her back to the twins. She grabbed the pot handle and very carefully poured the recommended amount of water into the bowls of noodles.  
"I'm sorry…" muttered Kaoru.  
"Huh?" Koichi said with surprise, pouring a little too much water into the last bowl.  
"About your parents. I'm sorry. I had no idea…"  
Koichi turned away with a "Hmph," pouring the excess water into the sink and distributing the bowls of ramen along with some chopsticks.

Dinner was eaten in silence, nobody being brave enough to agitate the black-haired girl even more.  
Nico was the first to finish eating, Koichi after him, and the twins a few minutes after that. Neither one of them could work up the nerve to complain about the noodles.  
"You two can go now." Koichi muttered after a few minutes of silence. "And I'll go to your stupid club after school tomorrow."  
Hikaru heaved a sigh of relief, but before he could say anything, his twin spoke up.  
"Do you… want help doing the dishes?" Kaoru asked quietly.  
Koichi narrowed her eyes. "Listen: I don't need your sympathy. Sure, I've had a hard life, but I can take of my self, thank you."  
Kaoru sighed. "Please let me help?"  
Koichi rolled her eyes. "Do you even know how?"  
Kaoru shifted his gaze to the floor. The comment hurt, but it was also true. "I… I know the basics."  
Koichi crossed her arms. "Fine. I wash, you dry."  
Kaoru nodded, turning to his brother. "Hikaru, you don't need to stay if you don't want-  
"It's fine." Hikaru interrupted. "I'll wait."  
"Alright…" Kaoru murmured, feeling slightly guilty as he grabbed his and his brother's bowls and followed Koichi to the sink.  
"O-okay, so what do I have to do again?…"  
Koichi rolled her eyes with a dramatized sigh. "Pick up that rag over there, dry the dishes I hand you, and then stack them next to you on the counter."  
Kaoru blinked. It _sounded_ simple enough.  
In the end, though, it took the two much longer to wash the dishes together than it would Koichi to wash them alone. The girl didn't really mind, though. It was kind of funny seeing the rich boy struggle so much with one of the simple tasks she had to do daily.  
"You call that stacking?" Koichi commented when they were done, looking to where Kaoru had been placing the dishes.  
Kaoru glanced at over at the counter where random dishes were places on one another, none of which were properly stacked. "Well, _sorry_…" he muttered. "I've never really done this before."  
Koichi rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Now can you two leave? I need to check on my mother."  
Kaoru nodded, and Hikaru stood from the table with another relieved sigh. "So we'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked, stretching a bit.  
Koichi sighed. "Fine, so long as I don't see any of that weird twin romance that Nico warned me about."  
"Deal," Hikaru said with a shrug, ushering his brother out of the house.  
"That was… weird…" Nico commented once the twins were gone, getting up to help his cousin put away the dishes. "Why'd you let him help you anyway?"  
Koichi shrugged, stacking a few bowls in the cupboard. "He was only going to complain if I said no. At least he didn't break anything, right?"  
Nico sighed. "I guess…"  
"Umm… can you finish? I want to check on Mother…"  
Nico nodded. "Sure."  
Koichi smiled at him in thanks, grabbing some medicine from another cupboard and rushing upstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

Koichi's mother was lying in bed, her breaths quick and raspy as she slept.  
"Mother." Koichi murmured, prodding her arm. "Come on, wake up. You need to take your medicine."  
Ms. Kichimaru stirred slightly, opening her eyes in tiny slits. "Koichi…" she muttered. "My darling…"  
"Shh, Mother." Koichi murmured in reply. "Please: don't waste your energy. Just take some medicine and rest some more."  
Ms. Kichimaru smiled weakly, resting a frail hand on her daughter's arm. "Thank you, Koichi…"  
Koichi sniffed as she felt a single hot tear run down her cheek. "You… You're welcome…" she murmured, pouring some red liquid into a tiny measuring cup and pouring it slowly into her mother's mouth.  
Ms. Kichimaru coughed a bit as the bitter cherry flavor collided with her taste buds, but other than that, she took the medicine with no complaints, falling back into an uneasy sleeps only moments after.  
Koichi sighed, heading back downstairs and putting away the medicine.  
"She any better?" Nico asked hopefully, putting the last of the dishes in the cupboards.  
Koichi shook her head with a sigh. "No."  
"I'm sorry." Nick muttered.  
"Me too."  
The two cousins stood in silence for a while, wondering if Ms. Kichimaru would ever get better.  
"It's getting late…" Nico said after a while. "I should be leaving…"  
"Wait a minute." Koichi said.  
"Yes?"  
"Can… can you look after Mother while I'm at the Host Club tomorrow?"  
Nico nodded, grabbing his coat and heading out of the house. "Sure thing." He said before closing the door behind him.

Koichi had a hard time falling asleep that night, her thoughts filled with the constant dread of what the next day held for her. And when she finally _did_ fall asleep, her dreams were filled with the worries she had for her mother.

School the next day passed fairly quickly, much to Koichi's dismay. Her classes were easy, there was no homework, and her friends didn't have any boy drama in lunch, allowing Koichi to complain about her afternoon plans.  
"What are you doing after school, Koichi?" Rena asked with a smile. "Hanging out with your cute cousin again?"  
Koichi rolled her eyes. Rena had the biggest crush on Nico, and probably only because he was rich. "I wish," she sighed. "I have to go to the Host Club up at Ouran Academy. I lost a bet to the Hitachiin twins…"  
"Oh my god, you are so lucky!" Koichi's other friend Miki exclaimed. "I can't believe you met the twins! And now you're going to the Host Club? I'm so jealous!"  
"Don't be." Koichi muttered. "Trust me, they're a real pain."  
Rena rolled her eyes. "I bet you just think that 'cause they're rich."  
"No, I think… _**know**_ that because I had to spend the entire afternoon with them yesterday."  
"No. Way." Miki gasped. "I can't believe it! What are they like?"  
Koichi sighed. "Annoying."  
"And which one's cuter?" Miki continued.  
Koichi rolled her eyes. "They're identical."  
"Yeah, but they _act_ different, right? At least a little?"  
Koichi's face reddened a bit at the memory of the younger twin and the way he practically begged her to help with the chores.  
Rena chuckled, turning to Miki with smirk. "Well look at that, Miki, she's blushing." And winking at Koichi, she continued. "Apparently she doesn't think they're as annoying as she says."  
"Ohh, which one do you like, Koichi?" Miki squeed.  
"Neither." Koichi grumbled. "It's more like one of _them_ has a stupid little petty crush on _me_."  
"Which one? Which one?" Miki begged.  
But thankfully the bell rang at that moment, saving Koichi from answering. "Listen, I'll tell you about it tomorrow," she said quickly, throwing out the remains of her lunch and pulling out books for her next class.

Koichi's next class was English: a class she normally loved, but all the girl could do at that moment was worry. This was the last class of the day. The last class before she was forced to go to the Host Club.  
The class was over before she knew it, though. Koichi sighed as the school bell rang, grabbing her bag and exiting the school. Her friends didn't pursue her. They knew better than to bother her when she was in this kind of mood.  
On normal days, Koichi would have changed into some normal clothes before she met with Nico, but on this day, she didn't. If she was going to spend the entire afternoon in a room full of rich snobs, they were going to know who she was.

Koichi found her cousin waiting for her as usual upon reaching Ouran Academy, and for a few moments, Koichi could pretend that this was just a normal day; that her and Nico were just going shopping again. The fantasy didn't last long, though.  
"You didn't have to wait for me," Koichi murmured to her cousin. "You have a key to my house. Unless you lost it."  
Nico rolled his brown eyes, dangling a key in front of his cousin's face. "I didn't wait because I needed a key. I waited because you're never going to find the Host Club on your own."  
Koichi crossed her arms. "Oh please. How complicated can it be?"  
And Koichi quickly learned that it was _very_ complicated. Ouran Academy was even bigger on the inside than it looked, and the expensively decorated hallways were hard and confusing to navigate.  
Nico lead his cousin around the school like a pro, through wide hallways with stained glass windows and up winding staircases with delicately painted railings.  
The Host Club was stationed in as unused music room, which didn't surprise Koichi in the slightest. Of course that would be the room they used. Of course.  
"Do you want me to walk you in?" Nico offered.  
"What do I look like, four?" Koichi retorted angrily, but continued in a softer tone after a hurt expression from her cousin. "I'm sorry… I'm just kind of nervous…"  
Nico chuckled. "You'll be fine. And I'll see you at your house when you're done."  
Koichi nodded and her cousin was off, leaving the girl to walk into the third music room, absently wondering how she would possibly find her way out of the maze of an academy without her cousin to guide her.


	4. Chapter 4

The third music room, much like the school it was located in, was also much larger than it looked. Upon entering, Koichi's annoyed expression was instantly transformed to one of shock and wonder. This one space seemed larger than all the rooms of the girl's house combined.  
And then the girl became aware of all the eyes on her. Every person in the room, girl and host alike, had turned to face the newcomer and Koichi found herself shaking in her worn out sneakers.  
"Who's she?" one girl muttered to a friend.  
"What's a commoner from the public school doing here?" wondered another.  
"Uh… I… I…" Koichi stammered, her heart rate rapidly increasing.  
A tall boy with blonde hair stood from the table he'd been sitting at (surrounded my girls) and walked over to meet the commoner.  
"And who might this be?" he said in a sweet voice, reaching over to lift the girl's chin in his hand.  
Koichi squeezed shut her eyes and turned away from the boy's touch. "I-I'm here to see the Hitachiin twins," she said nervously.  
"Oh so you must be-  
"Koichi!" Hikaru and Kaoru chided, popping up out of nowhere and interrupting the blonde.  
"You guys know her?" asked a girl in the male student uniform, holding a tray of teacups.  
The twins rolled their eyes and spoke in unison. "She's the one we were telling you about. You know, the one that lost a best to us…" they added, grinning stupidly in Koichi's direction.  
At this time, the girls who had been staring at Koichi all seemed to lose interest.  
Koichi crossed her arms. "Stop gloating. You two's egos are already big enough."  
The girl with the tray chuckled, setting it down on the nearest table and walking up to Koichi with a smile. "So I see you've met the twins. I'm Haruhi Fujioka and the blonde one over there is Tamaki Suoh. He's a bit of a drama queen, but he's not that bad once you get to know him."  
"Not that bad?" Tamaki complained in a hushed whine.  
Haruhi rolled her eyes and continued her introductions, pointing to three boys in the back of the room. "The one with glasses is Kyouya Ootori, the tall one is Mori, and the short one is Honey."  
"I-I'm Koichi Kichimaru…" Koichi stuttered.  
Kyouya stood, suddenly interested. "Any relation to Yoshiya Kichimaru?"  
Koichi nodded. "U-uncle." It was the only word she could manage.  
"Hmm…" Kyouya mused. "And why is the niece of such a man attending-  
"Public school?" Koichi interrupted angrily. "Because he's selfish and won't help his sickly sister."  
The hosts were silent for a few moments, not really knowing how to respond.  
"Wait a minute." Haruhi said after a few more moments. "Who's Yoshiya Kichimaru?"  
"You don't know?" asked Hikaru and Kaoru in disbelief.  
Haruhi shook her head.  
Koichi sighed. "He's the founder of Kichimaru industries… he makes TVs and videogames and such."  
"Aaanyways… now that the introductions are over…" said the twins, rushing over and each grabbing one of Koichi's arms.  
"Wait just a minute!" snapped Koichi, tearing her arms away. "The deal was that I spend the entire afternoon at the Host Club. Not that I spend the entire afternoon with _you two_."  
The twins shrugged.  
"If you'd rather spend your time with someone else, then fine," said Kaoru.  
"But wouldn't you rather spend your time with people you're already familiar with, no matter how slightly, instead of a complete stranger?" asked Hikaru.  
Koichi sighed, sounding defeated. They were right. The less people she became acquainted with here, the better. "Fine…"

"I never knew you were a Kichimaru," Hikaru commented upon sitting down at a small round table with Koichi and his brother.  
Koichi sighed. "Well I _am_ Nico's cousin after all."  
Hikaru looked away with a roll of his eyes as his brother took his place in the conversation. "You know… with a name like that, the academy might be willing to give you a scholarship."  
"I don't want to go to your stupid school." Koichi grumbled, crossing her arms.  
"And who not?" asked Kaoru.  
Koichi pointed to some of the other girls. "I'd have to wear a stupid frilly dress."  
Hikaru chuckled, eyeing Koichi's school uniform with a mischievous grin. "A frilly dress is better than a monotone church outfit any day."  
Koichi turned away with a huff. "You're infuriating." And after a few moments of silence, she spoke again. "By the way, what's up with that Haruhi girl? Why's she-  
"Shhh!" The twins shushed her.  
"Nobody knows that Haruhi's a girl." Hikaru said in a hushed voice.  
Kaoru nodded, speaking in the same tone. "She's working as a host to pay off a debt for breaking a ¥8,000,000 vase."  
Koichi sighed. "And no one notices? How pathetic. Rich people really _are_ brainless then, huh?"

The rest of the afternoon passed in pretty much the same way. The twins shared stories about the Host Club, and Koichi just rolled her eyes and made comments such as "That's stupid," "You guys are all freaks," or 'You two are annoying."  
Kaoru could tell that the 15-year-old was actually interested in the tales, though. There was just something about her pretty green eyes that didn't quite match the insults she was saying.  
Pretty soon, the third music room had quieted down, and Kaoru looked up to realize that all the customers had left; except for Koichi of course.  
"Hurry up and finish that cake, Mitsukuni," Kaoru overheard Mori saying to Honey.  
Koichi stood with a relieved sigh, stretching a bit. "Well I guess that's it, then. I'm out."  
Kaoru sighed. "Oh. Alright…"  
"Wait a minute." Said Hikaru, patting the pockets of his school uniform. "Kaoru, did you see where I put my phone?"  
Kaoru blinked. "Now that you mention it, no. Did you leave in class again?"  
Hikaru sighed, standing up from the table. "Probably…"  
"We'll check before heading home." Kaoru decided, standing up as well.  
Hikaru turned to Koichi with a wry smile. She had a bad feeling about this.  
"Maybe Koichi can come with us." He smirked.  
"No way. That wasn't part of the deal."  
"Oh come on." Hikaru sighed. "Just this one last thing, and we'll leave you alone, alright?" Kaoru looked as if he wasn't satisfied with what his brother was offering to the girl, but he didn't complain.  
Koichi took a minute to glance back and forth between the two twins. "Fine," she decided.

Koichi followed the twins slowly through the school, having a hard time keeping up because she stopped to inspect practically every painting they passed.  
After many minutes of wandering, though, the three high school students finally made it to the twins' classroom.  
Kaoru stepped up and opened the door, motioning for the other two to follow, which they did.  
"No lights?" Koichi asked quietly upon entering.  
Hikaru shrugged. "Why bother? It'll only be a few minutes." He said, walking over to the desks on the other side of the room.  
"Right…" Koichi sighed, following Kaoru as he walked towards his brother.  
Then the girl stepped on something that made a loud cracking sound, and she clung to Kaoru's arm as a reflex. "Wh-what was that?" she whined.  
Kaoru felt his face flush a bit, and he hoped no one noticed. He looked to the ground. "It was just a pencil," the younger twin murmured, pointing to the broken writing utensil on the floor.  
"O-oh…" Koichi replied shakily, loosening her grip on the boy's arm, but not quite letting go yet.  
Hikaru smirked, searching through a desk until he pulled out a small cellular phone. He turned back to the others and chuckled at the sight Koichi nervously gripping his brother's arm.  
Koichi quickly released Kaoru's arm, blushing slightly. "I-If you have your phone can we just leave?"  
Hikaru shrugged, his grin only widening. "Sure thing."

"So, um… you're scared of the dark?" Kaoru asked upon exiting the school, breaking the awkward silence that had been in place since leaving the classroom.  
Koichi stopped in her tracks, spinning around to face the younger twin. "I'm not scared of the dark!" she snapped. Hikaru walked around her and continued walking down the steps of the school, sensing that his brother might want some privacy with the upcoming conversation.  
"Riiiiight…" Kaoru muttered.  
Koichi sighed, turning around and starting to walk away.  
"W-wait." Kaoru said a little louder.  
"What is it?" spat the girl, turning around to face him again.  
"Will… Will I ever see you again?" the boy sadly murmured.  
Koichi's eyes glimmered with sympathy for a few moments, but then she narrowed them in annoyance. "Listen," she said, pointing a finger towards Kaoru. "I'll admit it: I had some fun with you today, but this could never work."  
"Wh-what do you mean?"  
Koichi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "We could never happen." She said slowly, pronouncing each word as clearly as she could.  
"But-  
"I'm poor, you're rich. We go to different schools and have completely different outlooks on life." Koichi interrupted angrily.  
Kaoru shifted his gaze to the ground. "You… you could try to get a scholarship…"  
"No."  
Kaoru sighed, meeting Koichi's gaze with sad amber eyes that were slightly clouded from rejection. "At least tell me you're scared of the dark, then. Give me that one answer and… and I'll leave you alone."  
Koichi's hard stare turned into a turmoil of emotions, all swirling around in her green eyes and fighting for control. The girl sighed, taking a seat on one of the steps. "It's because of a reoccurring dream I used to have when I was little."  
"A dream?" Kaoru asked, sitting next to her.  
Koichi nodded. "I started having it after father left. Mother and I are walking through the forest like we usually did, laughing and having a good time… But then all of the sudden she's gone and it's pitch black… I-I call for her but… she's gone. I… I just can't lose her, too…" she trailed off, cradling her head in her hands.  
"Koichi…" Kaoru murmured.  
"Now tell me something." Koichi muttered, looking towards the boy.  
"What?"  
"Promise me that you won't tell that to anyone. Not even Nico."  
"Uh… sure."  
Koichi stood with a sigh, smoothing the wrinkles out of her short gray shirt. "Goodbye, um…" she trailed off, realizing that she had gone two days without bothering to learn which twin was which.  
"Kaoru…" Kaoru murmured quietly, standing up as well.  
Koichi sighed again. "Goodbye Kaoru." She said, turning away and starting her trek home.  
Hikaru walked up to his brother once the girl had left. "Hey… I'm sorry."  
"Hikaru?"  
"Yeah?"  
"You left your phone behind on purpose, didn't you?"  
Hikaru chuckled. "Was is that obvious?"  
Kaoru nodded, smiling. "Yeah. And… thanks."  
Hikaru sighed. "I'm sorry it wasn't enough,"  
Kaoru sighed as well. "I-It's fine…"


	5. Chapter 5

Nico was interrupted from his crossword puzzle by his cousin walking angrily into the house. She slammed the door behind her, walking to the kitchen table and taking a seat, laying her head on the cool maple surface.  
"So, um… how was is?" Nico asked, kind of nervous to hear the answer.  
"I… I don't even know…" Koichi mumbled through the hair covering her face.  
"Well… What happened?" Nico asked, leaning a little closer to his cousin.  
Koichi sighed, lifting her face from the table. "I met everyone, and the twins… I actually had some fun with them, but… It's Kaoru…"  
"Kaoru?"  
Koichi nodded. "He asked if he'd ever see me again… I-I told him no and… I… I don't know… I felt kind of bad, but…" she trailed off with another sigh.  
"Koichi… I'm sorry…" Nico comforted, rubbing the girl's shoulder.  
"It's… fine, I guess." Sighed Koichi. "How was Mother?"  
Nico shrugged. "Same as yesterday."  
"Of course…"  
"You know…" Nico sighed. "You don't need to do this to yourself."  
Koichi blinked. "What do you mean?"  
"If you want to go again, I don't mind taking care of your mom for another day or two."  
"I can't." Koichi murmured, closing her eyes.  
Nico stood with a nod. "Well, I'm headed out. See you tomorrow."  
Koichi shook her head, tears somehow finding their way out of her closed eyes. "I'm not going to school tomorrow. I just… need a day alone." She sniffed, opening her eyes and wiping away a few tears, "I'll… I'll see you on Friday, alright?"  
Nico nodded, waving to his cousin before leaving the house.  
_I wonder exactly what happened…_ he thought, closing the door behind him.

Koichi didn't set her alarm clock that night. She thought about it, in case she changed her mind about ditching school, but she knew she wouldn't. Rena and Miki would want to know all about the Host Club tomorrow, and honestly, Koichi just wasn't ready to tell them about it.  
The girl woke up at 10 AM, and it was kind of strange since she wasn't used to seeing the sun in the sky when she normally got up on a weekday morning.  
After Koichi ate breakfast, she woke up her mother and gave her some more medicine. The girl tried to get Ms. Kichimaru to eat some cereal, but she wouldn't.  
The rest of the day passed fairly slowly. Koichi tried to read or draw or play solitaire, but she was just too distracted by the fact that her friends would probably call her as soon as they got out of school, wanting to know how the day before had went.  
And sure enough, Koichi heard her cell phone start playing the melody of the song "Sakura Kiss" at promptly 2:31.  
Koichi sighed, setting down the book she'd been reading and opening her phone, setting it on speaker. "Hello?"  
"Miki wants to know why you weren't in school today." It was Rena.  
"It was because of something that happened at the Host Club, wasn't?" asked Miki. Apparently Koichi was on speaker as well.  
"Listen guys…" Koichi sighed. "I don't really want to talk abou-  
"But you promised!" Miki whined.  
"Fine." Koichi grumbled. "I want to the Host Club, hung out, and then I went home."  
"Which host did you sit with?" asked Miki.  
Koichi sighed. "The twins again…"  
"And did anything happen with them?" asked Rena.  
"No." Koichi said a little more sternly than she would have liked to sound.  
"Come on, tell us!" whined Miki.  
"Nothing happened."  
"Right." Muttered Rena.  
"Did one of them ask you out?" Miki wondered.  
"Listen!" Koichi snapped. "Nothing happened between me and Kao- I-I mean…"  
"Huh? Kaoru? What happened with him?" murmured Miki.  
Koichi sighed. "Like I said. Nothing happened. I… I made sure of it…"

"Hey… are you alright?"  
"Huh?" Kaoru asked, looking up from his cup of earl gray tea.  
"You seem sad…" said one of the two girls the twins had been sitting with. "Are you okay?"  
"Oh I… just have a lot on my mind I guess…"  
"Is it… that girl who was in here yesterday?" the other girl wondered.  
"O-oh, uh…" Was it really that obvious? Kaoru wondered.  
"Kaoru…" murmured his brother, turning towards him with a wink  
"H-Hikaru… what is it?" Kaoru replied in the tone he usually used in their acts of "forbidden brotherly love."  
"Kaoru… you don't need to keep everything so bottled up."  
"But… Hikaru… It… It just hurts so much." Kaoru whined, throwing his arms around his brother's neck and forcing tears to his eyes.  
The two girls squeed in excitement and Kaoru allowed himself to just stay like that for a while as they fangirled, slightly glad for the excuse to cry.  
After a few minutes, though, Kaoru pulled away and whipped his tears. He tried to act cheerful for the remainder of the afternoon, no matter how difficult that task was.

Once the last customer had gone, Kaoru allowed himself to sulk, absently staring out a window as his brother played something on his Nintendo DS next to him.  
The other members of the Host Club watched this from a small area of sofas and chairs.  
"What's got him so upset, anyways?" Haruhi asked to no one in particular. "He's been like this all day; even in class."  
"I think it's because of that Ko-chan girl that was here yesterday." Honey said through a mouthful of cake.  
"That's true…" Haruhi murmured. "They _did_ seem to be having a good time with her yesterday."  
"Well whatever the problem is, he needs to get over it soon." Kyouya said, adjusting his glasses. "With Kaoru in this state, his popularity will fall and that will, in turn, affect his brother's popularity."  
"Well then we need to help him through it." Tamaki announced with a nod. "I say we track down this girl and convince her to come back here."  
Haruhi sighed. "But that might not be the reason."  
Tamaki sighed as well.  
Everyone was silent for a few more moments before Haruhi spoke again. "I'm just going to ask him." She announced, standing up and walking over to the twins' table.

"Kaoru?"  
Kaoru looked away from the window to see Haruhi standing before him and his brother. "Huh? Wh-what is it?" the younger twin blinked.  
"What's wrong?" she asked in a concerned voice.  
"Oh, it's…" Kaoru sighed, shifting his gaze to the table so Haruhi wouldn't see the hints of grief and stress staining his amber eyes. "It's… nothing…"  
Hikaru sighed and closed his DS, but he didn't say anything.  
"Everyone thinks… is it that Koichi girl?"  
Kaoru clenched his fists, continuing to stare at the table. He felt beads of sweat start to form on his forehead as he spoke. "Why… why does everyone…"  
"Kaoru…" Hikaru muttered. "It's alright."  
Kaoru sighed, looking at Haruhi with sad amber eyes. "Yeah… It was her…"  
"What actually happened, anyway?" asked Haruhi, taking a seat across from the twins. "If you don't mind my asking."  
"She just rejected me, I guess…" Kaoru murmured.  
Haruhi sighed. "I'm sorry…"  
Kaoru sighed as well. "It's… alright, I guess."  
"But it's not." Haruhi declared.  
Kaoru shook his head.  
"Tamaki really wants to help you out, you know." Haruhi commented.  
Kaoru blinked. "Huh?"  
Haruhi chuckled. "He wants to track down Koichi and force her to come back here or something."  
"Really?"  
Haruhi nodded.  
Hikaru laughed a bit. "That is so like him."  
They all sat in silence for a few moments until Hikaru spoke again. "So what do you want to do?"  
Kaoru shook his head. "I don't know. I… I want to chase after her, but… she'd just hate me even more…"  
"Well… it's up to you." Haruhi sighed.  
Kaoru nodded. "I know, just… give me some time…"  
Haruhi nodded as well. "Sure."

School the next passed as it normally did, and Koichi's friends managed to go the entire day without mentioning the Host Club. Something that Koichi was glad for.  
After school, Koichi changed into a simple yellow sundress. It wasn't really something she normally wore as casual clothing, but the girl hadn't wanted to walk to the Laundromat on her ditch day, so it would have to do.  
Koichi's walk to Ouran Academy was longer than it usually was, simply because her pace was slowed as she thought about the week's events.  
The past three days had been completely abnormal, and all because she had made that stupid bet. Koichi hoped a normal day with Nico would cheer her up.


	6. Chapter 6

Nico stood in front of the school, shaking with nerves as he waited for Koichi to show up.  
"Hey, Nico, you alright?" Hikaru asked, making the raven-haired boy jump. Nico had almost forgotten the twins had been waiting with him,  
"Koichi's going to be here any minute. Do you _know_ how mad she'll be when she sees the two here?" Nico chattered.  
Hikaru rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you'll come up with an excuse."  
Nico heaved a heavy sigh. "Why can't _you_ come up with an excuse? You two are the ones who want to do this. Not me."  
Kaoru sighed as well, speaking for the first time since solving that one geometry proof earlier in the day. "I don't want to be here either. This was all Tamaki's idea."  
Hikaru blinked. "Kaoru… if you really don't want to-  
"I'll do it," decided the younger twin, his eyes brimming with determination.  
"You sure?"  
Kaoru nodded. "The boss'll only complain if I don't…" he smiled weakly.  
Hikaru opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming up behind them. He turned around to see Koichi approaching.  
"What are _they_ doing here?" she asked Nico, crossing her arms.  
"O-oh they uh…"  
"The Host Club was canceled today and we needed something to do. Nico mentioned that he was going to watch a movie with you today and we asked to join in."  
Nico sighed. "Right. Asked…"  
Koichi rolled her eyes. "I thought you guys said you'd just stay away from me for now on."  
Hikaru crossed his arms. "Oh, so that means we can't hang out with Nico, either?" he pouted.  
Koichi sighed. "Whatever. Just try not to be too obnoxious."  
Hikaru smirked. "No promises, but we'll try."

"So what movie are we watching anyway?" Hikaru asked with a yawn, casually seating himself on the sofa. His brother sat next to him with a blank, nervous look in his eyes, but he remained silent.  
Koichi sat down next to Kaoru with a roll of her eyes, setting a bowl of popcorn to her left as Nico set up the movie. "You really don't care about the movie, do you?"  
Hikaru chuckled. "Like I said. We just needed something to do."  
"I highly doubt that…" Koichi sighed and then turned to Kaoru. "What's wrong with you, Kaoru? I haven't heard you speak a single word all day."  
Kaoru blinked, turning to Koichi. "Huh? How did you-  
"Know your name?" Koichi sighed. "Please. You're moping because your brother I forcing you to go to the house of the girl that rejected you. It's pretty obvious who's who."  
"Well you kind of just answered your own question, then…" Kaoru said practically inaudibly, looking away to hide his hurt expression.  
Koichi sighed. "Is the movie ready yet, Nico?"  
"Just a minute…" her cousin muttered in reply, pressing a few buttons on the television and clicking the play button on the DVD player to start the film.  
The opening credits showed up on the screen and Nico took his seat to Koichi's left, moving the bowl of popcorn to his lap and eating a few kernels.  
The movie was a fantasy, one of Koichi's favorites about a girl who meets a dragon, but she had a hard time concentrating on it, kind of wishing it would just end so the Hitachiins would leave.  
It was by no means a short movie, though. It was 2 ½ hours in length, and about halfway through (at the part where the protagonist had to break into the evil wizard's tower) Koichi felt her eyes getting heavy, the stress from the past few days finally taking her toll.  
Kaoru looked over at her with a small chuckle. "You tired?" he whispered.  
"N-No…" Koichi murmured with a yawn, which just received another laugh from the boy.  
Koichi rolled her eyes and tried to make it through the remainder of the movie, but after another ten minutes, she closed her eyes and let her head tip until it was stopped by someone's shoulder. In her last few moments of consciousness, she kept telling herself that the shoulder was Nico's, but she knew it wasn't.

Kaoru suddenly felt a light weight fall onto his shoulder, and he turned to see Koichi lying there, her breath slow and heavy in her sleep.  
Kaoru smiled to himself at the sight of the sleeping girl. It was nice to have her there, so close to him, even though she didn't feel the same way.  
The three boys watched the rest of the movie in silence, although none of them really paid too much attention. Kaoru's mind had been on Koichi, Hikaru's on his brother, and Nico's on how much Koichi would hell at him when this was all over.

Some time during the ending credits, Hikaru heard light snoring sounds coming from his brother's direction. He turned to see Koichi's head rested on Kaoru's shoulder, and Kaoru's head leaned against hers.  
He chuckled at the sighed of them and leaned forward on the sofa so he could face Nico. "Hey Nico," he called in a loud whisper. "You wanna wake these two up?"  
Nico turned to see what Hikaru was referring to and sighed. Koichi would have his head for this. "Let them sleep for a while. If we wake up Koichi now, she'll only be extra grumpy."  
Hikaru nodded and waited through a few moments of silence before speaking again. "Hey Nico. Can I ask you something?"  
Nico blinked. "Uh… sure."  
"Koichi… does she…"  
Nico sighed. "Have any feelings towards him? I honestly don't know."  
Hikaru sighed as well. He would have continued his interrogations, but just then, the two sleeping teens started to wake.  
Kaoru was first, rubbing his eyes and then he quickly moved his head away from Koichi's. He turned to face his brother, but turned away with a blush at seeing his mischievous smile.  
Koichi was next, waking with a yawn and muttering "Is the… movie over?"  
Nico answered her question with a nervous nod.  
Koichi blinked in confusion as the remnants of sleep wore off, and then realized how she was positioned.  
She quickly moved her head and hid a blush from the twins by facing away from them as she spoke. "The movie's over now. You two can leave."  
Kaoru stood with a disappointed sigh. "Right..."  
Hikaru stood as well. "You know, the Host Club's having a private beach party tomorrow. You could come if you'd like."  
Kaoru sent his brother a glare at this offer, but he didn't complain.  
"And why would I want to do that?" Koichi huffed, crossing her arms in a pout.  
Hikaru snickered. "When's the last time you've been to the beach, Koichi?"  
Koichi sighed. Hikaru's question rang true. Koichi hadn't been to the beach in years for the simple reason that it was just too far away. The closest beach was a few hours away and the girl just never had the time. "How are you getting there?" she asked.  
"Private jet." Hikaru replies with a widening grin.  
"F-fine." Koichi decided. "But only if Nico can come, too."  
Hikaru chuckled. "Sure. We'll pick you guys up from here at nine."  
"Alright…"  
Koichi turned to Nico once the Hitachiins had left. "What was that for, Nico?" she shouted, and then continued in a softer tone. "Listen, I don't want them in my life. You didn't need to do this."  
Nico sighed. "If you hate them so much, why did you agree to the trip to the beach?"  
Koichi was thrown off by his question. "I… I just…"  
"And why did you let yourself fall asleep on Kaoru's shoulder?" continued her cousin.  
"Th-that was just rotten luck!" Koichi argued, trying to convince herself as well as Nico. "I could have just as easily fallen asleep on your shoulder."  
"But you didn't." Nico said in a serious tone.  
Koichi shifted her gaze to the ground, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "I… I…"  
"And I didn't do this for you." Nico continued.  
"Wh-what do you mean?" sniffed his cousin.  
"Today. It was for Kaoru."  
"O-oh…"  
"Koichi?" Nico sighed.  
"Y-yeah?"  
"Like I said before: You don't need to do this to yourself."  
"Stop saying that!" Koichi shouted. "I'm not doing anything to myselrf! It's everyone else! You, Hikaru, Miki, and Rena. You're all trying to push me closer to him when I don't want to be!"  
Nico sighed. "Keep telling yourself that…"  
Koichi rolled her eyes and stood from the sofa. "I'm going to check on Mother…"  
Nico stood as well. "Alright. I'll meet you here at eight tomorrow morning."  
Koichi nodded as her cousin grabbed his things and left, rushing upstairs to check on her sickly mother.


End file.
